Buying advice Vintage Lloyd Loom

Thanks to the volume of pieces produced, nowadays vintage items aren’t difficult to find. Charity shops, eBay and Gumtree are good starting points, where you’ll be able to pick up 1950s and 60s items from as little as £ 45. Although, the better condition the higher the price. Andy Towle, owner of Eras of Style in Hurst Green, Kent, has been trading Lloyd Loom furniture for 38 years. He believes that, because the items were made so well, you’re just as well shopping for a vintage piece as buying a new one.

‘If you think about it,’ he says, ‘a new Lloyd Loom sets you back about £300, but you can pick up a fabulous 1930s or 1950s one for about £95 to £150.

‘If you’re after something with value, look out for large chairs with unusual shapes,’ he advises. ‘Children’s chairs are sought after, and I’ve even seen drinks trolleys. The range was extraordinary, including ottomans and planters.

‘The value is in the original paint,’ Andy continues. ‘Even if it’s a little worn and scruffy, it’s best to buy them in the original colour – often green, pink, blue, purple and gold, the most common colours – rather than newly spray- painted. ‘Very rare chairs are the ones from the 1920s and 1930s, which had patterns stencilled in the back in different colours – black, yellow and purple in a criss- cross pattern,’ he advises. ‘Chairs with spring cushions are popular now, too, as people like to upholster them in different fabrics. They’ve really come back in, as opposed to in the 1980s and 1990s, when you couldn’t give them away!’